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Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels played an exciting game against the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. Oakland got to Angels pitcher Jose Suarez early, scoring seven runs in the first three innings.
The Angels did their best to play catch-up and found themselves down a run with Trout coming to the plate. However, Trout grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game, 11-10.
Jared Carrabis, one of the more vocal baseball voices on Twitter, wasn't ready to let Trout off easy. For somebody deemed one of the greatest baseball players of this generation, he hasn't been clutch in late-game situations recently.
"Mike Trout letting America down once again," Carrabis tweeted.
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Trout's most memorable late-inning failure came in the World Baseball Classic when his MLB teammate Shohei Ohtani struck him out to end the tournament. Samurai Japan grabbed their third WBC title after that strikeout.
While Carrabis' tweet was meant as a joke, it does have a ring of truth.
Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels need to be competitive this season
This is a gigantic season for the Los Angeles Angels. Shohei Ohtani is in the final year of his contract. If the team can't compete this season, Ohtani will likely be on his way out.
Heading into Tuesday, the Angels hold an 11-12 record. They sit in third place in the American League West. Four games separate teams one through four in the division.
The Angels find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The Houston Astros have been running the division for the last few seasons. The Astros have not been the same team recently, especially after losing Jose Altuve to the IL.
With Houston struggling out of the gate, the Angels haven't had an opportunity like this in a while. They need to take advantage of the time Altuve is out and gain some ground in the division. Once he returns, it will likely be business as usual for the Astros.
If the Angels can stay competitive throughout the season, that may be enough for Ohtani to stay. Losing him would be a dark hole for the organization. When teams have an elite player like Ohtani, they must do everything possible to make him stay.
